Keverel Chess

Posts Tagged ‘C. J. A. Jones’

After 62 consecutive years at the same venue, the Paignton Congress must now take an enforced break from Oldway Mansion as developers are due to move in next summer to start converting the building into a hotel. Originally, the Committee were minded to take a complete break for 2013 as nowhere else could quite match Oldway’s surroundings, but this year’s players were keen to carry on at an alternative venue if one could be found. Congress Secretary, Alan Crickmore now tells me that the Livermead Hotel, Torquay has answered a prayer, and is set to be next year’s venue.

The 47^th Dorset Congress starts next weekend at the Bournemouth International Hotel. Details obtainable from their website bournemouthchesscongress.org.

This miniature is from last year’s event.

White: Meri Grigoryan (176). Black: Paul Helbig (175)

Trompowsky Opening [A45]

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 c5 4.c3 cxd4 5.Qxd4 Nf6 6.Bxb8 Rxb8 7.Qxa7 Qc7 8.Na3 Ne4 9.Nb5 Qc5 10.Qxb8 Qxf2+ 11.Kd1 Qc5 12.b4 Nxc3+ 13.Nxc3 Qxc3 14.Rc1 left. 14…Qd4+ 15.Ke1 Qxb4+ 16.Kf2 Qb6+ 17.e3 Qb2+ 18.Ne2 1–0

The Westcountry has its share of resident Grandmasters; Michael Adams in Taunton, Keith Arkell in Paignton and Peter Wells of Swindon, and to these can now be added C. J. A. “Christopher” Jones of Henbury, Bristol, who was recently awarded FIDE’s title of Grandmaster of Chess Composition. He was born in 1951 on Tayside, attending Dundee High School and later Corpus Christi, Oxford . After a period of distinguished playing and administration in Scotland, he moved to Bristol in 1978, where, as Christopher Reeves reports, he has had prodigious success over the past ten years with his helpmates in 3 moves, establishing himself as the leading exponent in the field. I’ll have one of his simpler problems next week.

In last week’s position, Adams (White) lost out to 1…Re2+! 2.Kxe2 any other king move and he is mated on g2. 2…Qxg2+ 3.Ke1 Qxh1+ 4. Kd2 Qxf3 5.Ke1 and 5…h4 wins.

Here is a 2-mover by the great American philanthropist/problemist Alain C. White (1880 - 1951), composed when he was just 11 years old.

White to mate in 2.